Cover for food-serving dishes



March 28, 1950 H. s. ZOlA 2,501,983

COVER FOR FOOD-SERVING DISHES Filed July 18, 1944 @mxmmw INVENTOR.

7% rue s Patented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COVER FOR FOOD-SERVING DISHES Hector G. Zola, Cleveland, Ohio Application July 18, 1944, Serial No. 545,428

2 Claims.

' 1 This invention relates to the art of rin s and covers to be placed upon plates or other dishes of food for the purpose of keeping the food warm.

Such devices are used quite extensively in hotels and restaurants and they have heretofore been made of light metal, sometimes with cushioning means upon the bottom thereoffor resting upon the edge portion of the dish therebeneath. Thus, as is Well known, such devices serve the further advantage of being able to stack one dish of food upon another in nesting fashion.

One object of my present invention is to devise a cover or ring with an improved form of cushionin means upon the bottom thereof.

Another object is to devise a cover or ring that canbe molded of plastic material.

More specifically, it is the object of my present invention to devise a ring or cover than can be molded of plastic material and that embodies an improved form of cushioning means upon the bottom thereof.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cover that is molded of plastic material;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of another cover that is molded of plastic material and that has applied thereto one form of cushioning means;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of a modifled cover that is molded of plastic material and that has applied thereto another form of cushioning means; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of a further modified form of plastic cover in which is embodied a still further form of cushioning means.

It is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely for the purpose of illustration and that there might be devised various modifications thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention as herein set forth and claimed. I

Whereas I have here shown my present invention in the form of a cover, it may also be embodied in the form of a ring.

Also, my present improved form of ring or cover may be molded from any suitable composition of plastic material.

The form of cover, as herein disclosed, comprises a main body with closed top I, downwardly and outwardly inclined side wall 2 and an annular bottom portion 3 of enlarged cross section. The bottom portion 3 may be made of a plastic material that is somewhat softer than that of the main body 2 so as to facilitate the effective engagement of the bottom of the device with the plate or other dish upon which it is placed. even without the use of any other means for this purpose.

An alternative means for increasing the frictional engagement of the bottom of the device with the plate or other dish to which it is applied, consists in providing the bottom portion 3 with any one of several different forms of rubber or rubber-like means atspaced intervals thereabout, the bottom portion 3 here being shown as having a curved surface. Such rubber or rubber-like means will serve also the purpose of cushioning.

. In Fig. 2 for instance, I have provided the enlarged portion 3 with a plain uninterrupted surface to which are applied a plurality of plain portions of rubber or rubber-like cushioning'material, as indicated by reference numeral 4. The members 4 may be cemented to the bottom part 3 and may extend any suitable distance about the curved surface 3, as for instance about halfway.

the enlarged bottom part 3 with pairs of grooves which are adapted to receive the correspondingly formed integral beads 5a upon the edges of the plurality of suitably spaced rubber or rubber-like cushioning members 5. The grooves may be formed at the time of molding the plastic ring or cover and they may be so placed that the cushioning members 5 will extend entirely about the curved surface of the bottom portion 3. That is to say, each cushioning member 5 will extend to the points where the curved bottom part 3 joins the straight wall portion 2. As a result, the enlarged edges of the cushioning members 5 will engage in their grooves at points substantially more than half-way around the outer surface of the bottom portion 3, and this arrangement reduces the danger of accidental removal of the cushionin members.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a plurality of suitably spaced cushioning members 6 which have marginal beads Ea. engaging snugly in the correspondingly formed grooves in the enlarged bottom part 3. In general principle this is the same form of cushioning means as is shown in Fig. 3 since in both instances the cushioning members extend more than half-way around the outer surfacev of the portion 3, although not as far in Fig. 4

as in Fig. 3.

In both Figs. 3 and 4 the cushioning members may be cemented to the bottom. part 3; and the In Fig. 3 I have provided the outer surface of cushioning members may be of Slightly less extent than the circumferential distance between the grooves so that the cushioning members must be placed somewhat under tension in order to insert their beaded edges within their grooves,-

thereby ensuring still further their snug and secure engagement. In any event, the cushioning members will be fitted and applied in a snug manner so as to preclude the danger of their accidental removal.

herein disclosed, these may be spaced at any suitable intervals and will extent at least over the bottom-most part of the enlargedportionfiso.as.

to afford means of cushioned supporting engagement therefor.

By devising a cover or ring that may be made of plastic material, it becomes possible to avoid the prevalent shortage of metal for this class of merchandise and to release more metal for other purposes at all times. Furthermore, ,my particular means for applying the cushioning members is well adapted for use in connection with rings and covers when made of plastic'material. Also, the plastic material may conveniently be given any desired color. Finally, my present form of device may be made andsold, at a comparatively low price.

What I claim is:

1. A food-serving appliance consisting of an annular body of upwardly and inwardly tapering form so that the bottom thereof may rest upon the marginal portion or" a dish and the'top thereofqmay receive the bottom of another like dish, the vertical cross section of the bottom edge portion of said annular body being of enlarged substantially complete circular form and having pairs of recesses formed therein, the recesses of each pair being located at points spaced from each other more thanthe semi-circumference of 40 said enlarged vertical cross section, and cushion members of resilient material of substantially uniform thickness throughout themain body thereofapplied to said enlarged cross section and having anchoring portions adapted to fit snugly with-' in said recesses so as to maintain said cushion members in place.

\ 10 In all three of the forms of cushioning members 2. A food-serving appliance consisting of an annular molded plastic body of upwardly and inwardly tapering form so that the bottom thereof may rest upon the marginal portion of a dish 5 and the top thereof may receive the bottom of another like dish, the vertical cross section of the bottom edge portion of said'annular body being of enlarged solid substantially complete circular form and having pairs of recesses formed therein, the recesses of each pair being'located at points spaced from each-other more than the semi-circumference of said enlarged vertical cross section, and cushion members of resilient material ofsubstantially uniform thickness throughout the mainbody thereof applied to said enlarged (cross section and having anchoring portions adapted to fit snugly within said recesses so as to-maintain said cushion members in place.

HECTOR, G. ZOIA.

REFERENCES CITED Thev following references are of record in the file of this, patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 100,374 Carleton Mar. 1, 1870 350,477 Case i .O;ct. 12 1886 39 697,314v Bateman ,Apr,.,8, 1902 887,663 Lee ,May 12,1908 1,450,632 Horton ,Apr. 3,1923 1,593,410 Alaj Aug. 31, 1926' 1,699,339 A1811 Jan. 15, 1929 35 1,746,847 Zoia V Feb. 11, 1930 1,761,271 Nelson, r June 3, 1930 1,793,298 Alaj Feb. 17, 1931 2,246,975 Geibel June 24, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,935 Great Britain May 10, 1906 201,689 Great Britain Aug, 9, 1923 641,581 France Apr. 21, 192-8 45 760,092 France Dec. 6, 1933 617,702 Germany Aug. 24, 1935 

